Saturday, February 11, 2017

Minor earthquake hits Taiwan, injuring 4

BEIJING — A minor earthquake hit the southern part of Taiwan early Saturday, (10th February) injuring four people, authorities said.
The National Fire Agency reported four cases of residents being hurt by
falling items. Authorities said the magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck
near the coast of Tainan city at around 1:12 a.m.
Taiwanese media reported that 50,000 households were briefly left in
the dark before power was restored and carried photos of grocery stores
suffering limited damage. No deaths were reported.
Taiwan is located on a part of the Pacific Rim that frequently
encounters seismic activity. Fatalities from earthquakes have dropped in
recent years since stricter construction regulations came into effect
but building safety remains a hot-button issue.
A magnitude 6.4 tremor one year ago toppled a 16-story apartment
building in Tainan, killing 115 people. Five people involved in the
construction of the complex were found guilty of negligence and handed
prison sentences in November.